I just noticed Gemma has 1 ear that is full of thick dark wax and a little smelly. The other ear is clear. I cleaned it out, plucked all the hair from that ear and didn't notice anything else unusual. I used some ear wash solution and carefull with a q-tip cleaned all the visible parts of the ear canal. The wax is a very dark reddish brown color. It doesn't seem to be bothering her, but I'm worried because it looks so unusual. Anyone else ever experience this? It definitely looks like the photos I've seen of ear mites, but they say that it's really itchy and she hasn't been scratching.

I just noticed Gemma has 1 ear that is full of thick dark wax and a little smelly. The other ear is clear. I cleaned it out, plucked all the hair from that ear and didn't notice anything else unusual. I used some ear wash solution and carefull with a q-tip cleaned all the visible parts of the ear canal. The wax is a very dark reddish brown color. It doesn't seem to be bothering her, but I'm worried because it looks so unusual. Anyone else ever experience this? It definitely looks like the photos I've seen of ear mites, but they say that it's really itchy and she hasn't been scratching.

Sounds to me exactly what happened to Kodi when he had a yeast infection.

okay, i'll call the vet today and see if i can get an appointment this week. Just noticed my big dog has the same thing in one ear as well. Same dark waxy drainage. Both dogs have now had their ear hair plucked. They are so good to let me sit with tweezers and pluck all that hair; they almost seem to enjoy it!

Just got back from the vet; yeast infection! You guys are so smart! She said that the best treatment is good ear cleaning, remove excess hair and she gave me a natural solution (Burow's solution) to use. If that doesn't work after a few days then she said she'd use an antibiotic, but antibiotics can lead to more resistant infections. That's why i love my vet; she doens't push drugs unless really needed.

Someone said in another thread she was warned by her vet to stop feeding foods containing beef because its a common allergy that presents as yeast infection in the ears. I'd never heard of such a thing but will definitely keep it at a distance.

Glad to hear Gemma will be on the mend . . .well wishes coming your way . . .

my vet also said allergies can present as yeast infections. Usually they are showing other signs like itchy feet and bum in addition to ears. She is now on a fish based food (acana pacifica) as the red meat didn't agree with her.